Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 1 March 2026

Mark Albert Zarco
President, Philippine Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
Director, International Press-in Association

The 22^nd Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference and 5^th Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia (AGSSEA) was held on 28-29 January 2025, at Shangri-La the Fort, BGC, Manila, Philippines. The conference was organized by the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS) and the Philippine Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, under the auspices of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).
 
The conference was attended by over 235 experts from 23 countries (Photo 1) with the main theme “Advancing Geotechnics for a Resilient and Sustainable Future: Mitigating Multi-hazards amidst a Changing Climate”. The technical program consisted of two keynote lectures, three special lectures, five plenary lectures as well as parallel sessions covering topics such as Underground Structures and Ground Improvement, Geotechnical Investigation and Slope Stabilization, Geo-environmental Engineering and Disaster Mitigation, and Digital Technologies and Numerical Modelling. This edition of the conference featured the 1^st Dr. Za-Chieh Moh Memorial Lecture, the 1^st Emil M. Morales Memorial Lecture, and the 6^th Salvador F. Reyes Honor Lecture. The Conference Program also featured two panel discussions: the SEAGC-AGSSEA panel discussion  with the theme “Towards the Advancement of Geotechnical Engineering Practice”, and the ISSMGE panel discussion with the theme “Foundations of the Future: Vision for ISSMGE”
 
During the 11^th AGSSEA Council Meeting held on 28 January 2026 , Prof. Chian Siau Chen of the National University of Singapore was elected as the next president of the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, while Prof. Mark Albert Zarco of University of the Philippines Diliman would assume the chairmanship of the AGSSEA. It was also decided that the 23^rd Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference and 6^th Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia (AGSSEA) would be held in November 2029 in Taipei, Taiwan. In attendance was IPA Immediate Past President Prof. Leung Chun Fai.
 

Photo 1 Breakdown of participants at the SEAGC-AGSSEA 2026 Conference by country